Osmos iPhone & iPad Game App Review

I always find that there is often one or two apps that define a platform for a long time. Each time Apple releases an update to iOS, there will be one app which is thoroughly enjoyable to use and deservedly at the top of the App sales charts. For the iPad tablet device, this app is Osmos, and after using it for the past few weeks, I have no questions as to why it’s done so well in the App Store.

If you’ve never heard of Osmos before, let me rewind a little and offer some background. Osmos is a game from a developer company called Hemisphere Games, and if focuses around you controlling a mote, with many of the levels on offer requiring you to become larger than the other motes around you.
You move by tapping behind the mote, however, each time you do this, you eject mass to move, ergo making you smaller in the process. The key to the game is striking the perfect balance between getting to where you want to go, but doing so without becoming so small that you’re utterly insignificant and have no chance of progressing to the next stage.

To control the game, you use various gestures. For example, you can pinch to zoom in and out, tap to eject mass and move, and flick your finger either left or right across the screen to speed up and slow down time. The control that you have over the speed of the game is crucial, as you can go slow to outmaneuver some larger obstacles, or if you’re dominant in the area, you can speed up the time and let gravity do the work for you, as you absorb the mass of smaller motes around you.

The graphics of Osmos on both the iPad and iPhone / iPod Touch are insanely good. On the 9.7″ screen of the iPad, everything is super crisp and incredibly clear, allowing you to navigate the courses without any problem whatsoever. The colours used are really vibrant, with consumable, smaller motes appearing in blue, and larger ones than yourself appearing in a red colour.

Despite the intuitive controls and the amazing graphics, there is one thing that makes Osmos simply soar above the rest of the competition in the App Store, and that is the phenomenal soundtrack that is ever present during gameplay. As you start the game, you are told that it sounds best with headphones, and it truly does. When you’re in some of the levels, you feel incredibly immersed by the gameplay, which has a serene quality to it. Speaking of levels, there are lots to go around, with 72 levels and two game modes to battle your way through.

Whether you’re looking for serene gameplay and soundtrack, or great graphics on a large screen, you should definitely check Osmos out; it is one game that no iPhone or iPad user should be without, as it is incredibly well executed and polished. You can buy it off the App Store for both iPhone and iPad, with the different versions costing just £1.79 and £2.99 respectively.